Introduction
Let’s continue our discussion of
life in loving service to our Lord and King Jesus. Two very
real elements of Kingdom living are often overlooked in
today’s man-centered, self-gratifying Christendom: suffering and persecution. Yet the
Word of God leaves no doubt that how
we respond to suffering and
persecution helps determine both our spiritual fruitfulness as
well as our transformation into our King’s likeness by
His indwelling Spirit.
Suffering is of course interconnected with
persecution. But in this Lifebyte we’ll be dealing with
suffering as it relates to your sanctification into the character of our Lord Jesus.
Suffering embodies the many “altar experiences” during which
you respond to our Father’s grace and take part in a
wonderful ex-change: you re-place reliance on your sin
nature-control-led soul with being ruled by the Spirit of Jesus
through your spirit. Suf-fering is an internal mechanism that
takes place in the unseen realm of your soul (mind, will,
emotions) and spirit. It’s your
response within to what’s
going on around you.
Persecution, on
the other hand, is the reaction of
others against
you because of your faith. It comes
to you as a direct result of the stance you’ve taken for
your King. Persecution runs the gamut from rejection and
mistreatment to torture and martyrdom, and some measure of it
is a given for those who follow Jesus as their Lord and King.
For example, in the parable of the four types of soil, He
indicated that the person whose roots are shallow will quickly
fall away when (not if) persecution comes because of His word.
Our King both calls us and empowers us to identify with and embrace the persecution that was heaped upon Him. To do
otherwise would mean we deny Him.
For we are to God the aroma of Christ
among those who are being saved and among those who are
perishing. To the latter, we are the smell of death leading to
death; but to the former, we are the sweet aroma of life
leading to life... (2 Corinthians 2:
15,16).
When have you last thought of yourself as
the aroma of our Lord Jesus to others? As His followers,
we’re responsible to live in such a way that we
“smell” like Him in character, speech and actions.
Almost everyone is aware of odors, whether
appealing or repulsive. And what prompts pleasurable response
to some (like a strong coffee smell) may provoke
“Yuck!” from others! As Paul instructed his
disciples in Corinth, the Spirit of
Jesus in His own evokes a response
to His presence one way or the other—even if it’s
subconscious in the people we meet.
As our sanctification continues and
we’re being transformed by His Spirit, we become more and
more Christ-like. That is, our character and life increasingly mirror our King, Who rules us through our spirit.
This isn’t just a concept but a way of life for
Kingdom subjects—to be “Jesus-in-the-flesh”
to others. Not only do we individually develop the aroma of
Jesus as we yield to His Spirit at work in and through us, but true fellowship is
based on our collective Christ-like aroma as extended spiritual
family. This fellowship is the sweetest of all!
Those who “smell like Jesus” are
strongly attracted to each other. The following anecdote
illustrates in the physical realm that which takes place in the
spiritual.
We spent ten years raising sheep at a
retreat center because Mike had been asked to counsel clergy.
Since the Bible refers so often to the relationship between
“shepherds” and “sheep”, what better
way to understand them than through firsthand experience!
When you’re around sheep for any
length of time, you become identified with them by their odor.
(There was never any doubt when Mike walked into the house that
he’d been down to the barn!) Sheep have a flock
identification gland in their front hooves. When they rub
against each other, this gland gives the flock members a common
smell. Their strong olfactory system compels them to be close
to one another—they find security in their mutual
identifying odor. This is why sheep flock together.
For followers of Jesus, His Spirit in each of
us gives us our Lord’s aroma. And this aroma grows
stronger as we’re increasingly sanctified into His
likeness. However, one element of this aroma-building process
of identification is so often overlooked.
A primary means of our Lord transforming
us to be like Him is through suffering as we walk in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). As we suffer (and suffering is
inevitable in this fallen world), we grow in our King’s
likeness if we respond according to His Spirit at work in us.
Keep in mind that all who walk according
to God’s Word bearing the testimony of Jesus will join
our spiritual companion John the apostle in the “suffering and kingdom and patient
endurance that are ours in Jesus” (Revelation 1:
9).
Suffering — Our Lord’s Means
To Train Fruitful Kingdom Subjects
No one enjoys suffering! But when we
accept our Father’s Covenant in Lord Jesus, suffering is
a vital component. You realize without doubt that Jesus
suffered out of His loving obedience. Should our Father treat
His children any differently by withholding that which helps to
conform us to His Son’s image?
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should
make the author of their salvation perfect
through suffering” (Hebrews 2:10).
Why is suffering essential to our
sanctification into Christ’s likeness? And what example
of attitude does Paul set for the followers of Jesus in Rome, a
decidedly unaccepting locale for Christians?
We also rejoice
in our sufferings, because we know
that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:
3-5).
Our Lord offers us a path of suffering in
order to produce hope in us. Within a biblical framework, hope is synonymous
with confidence. [Prove this for yourself.
Use your concordance to go through the Psalms and substitute
the word “confidence” for “hope”. See
how well it fits!]
Why is hope necessary for our lives as
people who walk in confidence in our King? Jesus tells us, “the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Your sanctification is
accomplished in the unseen world of your spirit and soul.
It’s a painful process to relinquish
dependence on your sin nature-controlled soul in order to
become a Spirit-led subject of your beloved King. All
throughout the suffering you endure as part of your
sanctification, demonic voices will try to make you believe
that Jesus has rejected you. They’ll try to convince you
of how dark your soul is so that you’ll lose confidence
in your Lord’s love for you as His precious child.
Sadly, many people can’t understand
our Lord’s glorious goal to produce unswerving hope within
them. Consequently, they give in to despair and hopelessness.
But the Bible assures us that our suffering is allowed by our
King to produce both His character
and hope in His followers. He is
faithful to comfort you in the midst of whatever affliction
you’re enduring (Psalms 119:50). And, one of His
beautiful names is the God of hope (Romans 15:13).
If you’ve gone through our series Going To The High Places, you’re aware how the voices of self-pity and
craven fear attempted to impede Much Afraid on her pilgrimage
of sanctification. Every time she listened to those deceiving
words she was filled with despair, doubting she’d ever
walk in union with the Shepherd on the high places.
Our Lord knows that you’re
susceptible to the same demonic assault. Re-member this. What
kept Much Afraid going? Her confidence in the Shepherd’s promise that she would
one day be loved.
What hope do you need as you undergo suffering in your
sanctification? You need confidence that there is a worthwhile
purpose for your suffering. Is the
development of the character of Jesus within you a sufficient
goal for you? This is important,
because suffering without purpose is no more than torture.
Stand-ing firm in why you’re suffering and embracing its
noble goal is crucial for you so you’ll keep pressing on.
Would you say that the purpose of Jesus’
sacrifice on the cross—to pay the penalty for our sins
and reconcile us to the Father so that we might enjoy intimate
union with His Spirit and eternal life—was enough of a
goal for Him to endure such suffering?
Looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter
of our faith, Who for the joy set
before Him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).
In the same light, would you consider it a
joy for you to endure whatever suffering is needed for you to be
the aroma of Jesus to others? Really, are you prepared to
suffer whatever is necessary to be like Jesus to others, or are
you hesitant? If you’re hesitant, then discover why you
lack confidence (hope) in Jesus and in His means of reproducing
Himself in you.
The Apostles Affirmed The Importance of
Perseverance And Trials
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that
the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance
must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
The apostles showed no hesitation in
standing firm in their trials. In fact, they rejoiced in the honor of
suffering shame for the sake of Jesus (Acts 5:41)! The testing
of your faith involves some measure of suffering, and
that’s how your perseverance is matured.
A simple definition of perseverance might
be this: A heart devotion to hang
in there no matter what the cost. To
endure under great trial demands a cherished enough goal that
will carry you through the suffering. A woman who is in labor
to deliver her baby understands this connection. We Kingdom
subjects of our King must have the same intense confidence in
our Lord’s goal for our suffering: that His likeness will
be growing more and more within us until we see Him face to
face!
God’s Word as well as church history
recount episode after episode of those who have persevered in
suffering be-cause their lives were so devoted to the Jesus in
them. But perhaps your experience parallels ours. In our 31
years of following Jesus we’ve encountered so few who
have been put to the test via suffering in their faith and have
emerged rejoicing in His faithfulness.
But that victorious
trust is the fertile soil for
testimony that impacts other people’s lives! And fruitful
soil is life-giving, not fruitless as are the other parable
soils lamented in Mark 4:1-20. Seed which is sown on good soil
hears, accepts and bears fruit, “some
thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Isn’t your suffering worthwhile when you
think about how your loving perseverance can soften the soil of
other people’s hearts?
Nicolaitan religious systems frown on
hardship and suffering as a means of bringing glory to our
Lord. The worldly pursuit of self-gratification and instant
convenience have invaded modern churched culture so that
identifying with the suffering of Jesus is a foreign concept,
another gospel! If you’re honest with yourself, you may
have bought into a belief that if someone is suffering, there
must be something wrong with their faith or their life. Not so!
The demonic “Health and Wealth
gospel” that’s widely embraced throughout western
Christendom places personal satisfaction at the center of faith
practice. Therefore it’s no surprise that sacrificial
service on behalf of the King is unheard of among their clergy.
After all, from this framework, our Lord is responsible to
bless people and make them happy.
Suffering, perseverance, and
sanctification into the character of Jesus are foreign concepts
throughout most of western Christendom today. Yet the beloved
of the King are warned to expect fiery trials rather than question them.
The apostle exhorts with timeless words all who love and serve
Jesus:
But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad
with exceeding joy. If you are re-proached
for the name of Christ, blessed are
you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you (1 Peter 4:13,14).
• How do you feel about the suffering
and perseverance that come with following Jesus as Lord and
King in His Kingdom?
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• Do those who know you well in the
faith consider you a persevering person, or one who gives up or
gets frustrated easily?
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• Do those who know you well in the
faith consider you confident in hope in your relationship with
our Lord? Relate an incident to validate your response.
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• Paul commends the called-out ones
in Corinth, “And we, who with
unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being
transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which
comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). What trials or suffering are
you going through as a result of your faith in Jesus? Describe
your inner and outward responses to these trials.
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Suffering: A Spiritual Bond In Our
Relationship With Our Lord
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery
to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you
received the Spirit, who makes us
sons and by whose power we cry out
‘Abba!’ (that is, ‘Dear Father!’). The
Spirit Himself bears witness with
our own spirits that we are children
of God; and if we are children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God
and joint-heirs with the Messiah — provided we are suffering with Him in order also to be glorified with Him (Romans 8:15-17).
It would be so simple if we could just
bask in our Father’s care here on earth and then be
beamed into heaven before trials or suffering cross our path.
How-ever, that notion just doesn’t float in the Kingdom
of God.
We can rejoice because it’s in the midst of our troubles that our God shows Himself faithful as our refuge and strength
(Psalms 46:2). Peter didn’t tell anguishing followers of
Jesus to pray that their trials be snatched away from them. On
the contrary, he comforted them with the reality that through fiery trials their trust would be found authentic when Lord Jesus returns:
Rejoice in this [assurance of deliverance
on the Last Day], even though for a little while you may have
to experience grief in various trials. Even gold is tested
for genuineness by fire. The purpose of these
trials is so that your
trust’s genuineness which is
far more valuable than perishable gold, is judged worthy of praise,
glory and honor at the revealing of Jesus the Messiah (1 Peter 1:6,7, CJB).
Our Lord is determined to test the
genuineness of our trust in Him. The pattern of testing faith
for authenticity was established in Abraham, the “father of all who trust” (Romans 4:12,16,18). Just picture yourself
having waited decades for the child God promised you. Now He
calls you by faith to offer him as a sacrifice of obedient
trust (Hebrews 11:17-19). Has it ever occurred to you that
Jesus offers opportunity time after time to each of His beloved to
evidence their love and obedient trust in Him? Get hold of this
now or you’ll misunderstand the circumstances our Lord
establishes in your life to test your trust.
An old poem begins, “How do I love thee? Let me count the
ways.” All of us have at one
time or another questioned the heart devotion of others toward
us. This is particularly true in “Value-based
Relationships”—those in which you choose to develop
relational intimacy with one another. [For more on different
types of relationships, see Lifebyte 42. “Ministering Spiritual Freedom To Others”.]
Have you ever wondered about your
relationship with Jesus from our Lord’s vantage point? The Apostle Peter
had first-hand experience with his faith being tested, since he
was among those repeatedly admonished for being men of “little faith” (Matthew 8:26; 14:31; 16:8).
Note that it wasn’t just divine
intervention, whether calming of the seas or multiplying the
loaves and fishes, that challenged Peter’s faith so it
could be tried and purified. Even the devil was permitted to
break through Peter’s defenses.
‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for
you, that your faith may not fail. And when you have returned
to Me, strengthen your
brothers.’ But he replied, ‘Lord, I am ready to go
with you, both to prison and to death.’ Jesus answered,
‘I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day
before you will deny three times that you know Me’ Luke 22:31-34).
You may notice that Jesus did nothing to prevent the
testing of Peter’s faith. He only said that He prayed
that Peter’s faith would not fail. And while Peter did
deny Jesus, our Lord’s grace prevailed and he was
restored through his repentance.
Our King wants to be assured about both
your trust in and love for Him. His greatest commandment for all of us
repeats the same level of devotion called for in the called-out
Israelites: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:
5; Matthew 22:37). Now recall the manner in which our Lord
restored Peter: The apostle was asked to affirm his love for Jesus
and evidence that love by caring for His own after His ascension
(John 21:15-17).
Multiple examples in the Older Testament
reveal the essential matter of the heart in relation to authenticity of love for
God. Half-heartedness was, and is, unacceptable before our holy
and righteous God:
[Abijah] committed all the sins his father
had done before him; his heart was
not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been (1 Kings 15:3).
Neither before nor after Josiah was there a
king like him who turned to the
LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and
with all his strength, in accordance
with all the Law of Moses (2
Kings 23:25).
God left [King Hezekiah] to test him and to know everything that
was in his heart (2 Chronicles 32:31).
Don’t think that our Lord, who
tested the faith and love of people in both the Older and Newer
Testaments, isn’t doing the same today for you. If you can
clearly grasp this truth, you’ll
view the circumstances in your life in a whole new light. You’ll recognize suffering as our
Lord’s means to draw you
closer to Him, not drive you away
into hopelessness. In this light, suffering is designed to make
you more dependent on your King. And if you respond as His indwelling Spirit
intends, suffering produces the character of the King in you.
